Escape the Fate
by Deus Vult Lumine
Summary: Percy ascends to Olympus to challenge Kronos, but things don't exactly go according to plan and he is left with a decision. Is his life worth continuing? Or will he choose to cut his own life string to end his misery?


**A/N: This is the first story I started writing and it's really more of a one-shot that I felt like writing to get to a specific scene in order to talk about a concept I would love to hear you guys' thoughts and opinions about it.**

The battle for the Empire State Building was raging thousands of feet below him, but Percy had neither the time nor inclination to heed the cacophony of violent sound emanating from the viscous battle. Before him lay the smoking ruins of Olympus. An eerie silence enveloped the place like a blanket of fresh snow. Even the fountains seem to have been disabled, removing the once ever-present gurgling of water. A diminutive house he could only assume belonged to a minor god lay before him in shambles. The blackened remains of the roof showed a decorative trim in the pattern of waves and rain, and what was left of the outer walls were painted a muted sea green. "One of dad's friends maybe?" He mused as he slowly shook himself and continued on. Percy knew Annabeth was still trailing him from the small gasps of horror and shock which emanated from the young demigod every few yards. The path taken by Kronos wasn't exactly hard to follow. A sense of dread began to consume his thoughts and emotions as he moved deeper into the city.

After what seemed like hours traversing the desolate landscape of the once proud residence of the gods, their destination appeared in front of them. The throne room of the gods lay before them, and Percy's dread only seemed to heighten at the sight. The once beautiful gates had been torn asunder, both now lying dented on the threshold. As they approached the entrance, the sound of maniacal laughter drifted to their ears in Luke's strange double-voice that had developed after he became a host to the titan lord and they increased their pace. The sight that greeted them beyond the doors sent a chill of fear into the demigods and stopped them in their tracks.

For the most part, little had changed from the last time Percy had been before the gods, other than the fact that none of the thrones were occupied and a familiar figure resided in the room instead. Kronos stood before the throne of Zeus with his scythe slowly and methodically carving pieces from the marble and destroying them. "You are too late, foolish demigods!" he said without taking his eyes from the task at hand. "You cannot save your pathetic gods from my wrath! I have spent far too long in the pit, and I will have my revenge."

The words snapped Percy from his passive state and he instinctively drew and uncapped Riptide. "Don't you think it's a little early to be celebrating Kronos?" he said in what he hoped was a defiant tone of voice. He knew they had little to no chance to defeat the titan, but he also knew he wouldn't give up and leave his friends to die. If they could just distract him for long enough, perhaps help would come. The son of Poseidon could only hope that the olympians would be able to defeat Typhon before he crushed what remained of Olympus and their seats of power. Annabeth, seeming to draw a semblance of courage from her friend's words drew her dagger and crouched into a ready stance. The thought of not facing this seemingly impossible scenario alone returned a bit of energy and determination to Percy as he prepared to make his move.

Kronos carved another large section of the throne, almost entirely removing the armrest, before slowly turning to face them. His eyes, pits of swirling gold, only served to further unnerve the demigods facing him. "Do not think to challenge me children! Surrender now and your deaths shall be quick." Kronos sneered.

Percy took this as the signal to attack, and began to sprint toward the waiting titan. Before he could cover even half the distance, his movements slowed to a crawl and eventually to a halt. "A foolish, if not predictable choice of action sea-spawn." Kronos spat at him with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Though I am somewhat relieved that you chose the painful death." He continued with a sadistic smile contorting his scarred face.

Percy gave everything he had to try and overcome the grasp the titan lord had over him, but to no avail. Slowly Kronos began to stalk forwards to where the son of Poseidon was frozen in mid stride. Percy could only watch in horrified fascination as his once friend drew to within striking distance and raised his weapon. "I may not know where your Achilles point is yet, but I have all the time in the world to figure it out!" Kronos said gleefully.

Before he could begin to slash at the frozen demigod, Annabeth stepped in between them having somehow managed to break free. "Please Luke! Is this what you really want‽ Is getting revenge on the gods worth this much to you, that you would murder your friends‽" she cried as tears began to roll down her dirty face. In response to her words, Kronos seemed to falter. His eyes briefly lost their golden color and his weapon began to shake in his hand.

"Annabeth, I need you to give me your dagger!" Luke's voice said through gritted teeth. "Please, I can't hold him back for long, but I can stab myself in the Achilles point. If you try to do it he'll be able to stop you, you have to trust me!" He panted, clearly in pain and beginning to tire from the effort of wresting control from the being using him as a host. Without hesitation, Annabeth reached forward and handed Luke her knife, watching in awe as Luke's hand took the weapon and slowly and shakily brought it to his side, preparing to plunge it in just below his armpit.

"Thank you Annabeth, and you as well Percy… I wish things could have been different" Luke said with tears in his eyes. "I'll make sure everyone learns of your heroism Luke. I'll do everything in my power to make sure the minor gods and goddesses are treated right, and demigods don't get neglected anymore" Percy said with conviction

"I suppose this is goodbye then, tell Thalia I'm sorry." Luke said before the blade crashed into his side and… shattered. Unbelievably loud laughter exploded from the teen's form as he took in the astonished faces of the demigods before him. "Did you really think that a mere demigod host would be able to take control away from me for so long? It is not a matter of willpower or determination, but of POWER." the titan said, emphasising his last word with a burst of energy that knocked Percy and Annabeth off of their feet and threw them across the room before they were once again trapped in time.

Percy was at a loss at the events that had taken place. His mind reeled at the sudden change in situation. Just when he had started to believe that victory was possible, and that there was a chance something could be salvaged from this day of heartbreak and loss, his world had once again been shattered. He could see the devastated expression on Annabeth's face as she experienced similar emotions. Percy tried to find a way to win, a way to use what he had to overcome his enemy, but his mind seemed to betray him, and despite it's frantic searching, it remained blank.

"I see that I have upset you, young demigods, let me complete the process of breaking you." Kronos said, his eyes having returned to their previous golden hue and an evil smile adorned his lips. Before them appeared an image similar to an Iris message. What it showed caused what blood that remained to drain from the heroes faces. The olympians were battling Typhon, and they were losing. Badly. Zeus was hurling lightning bolts with frightening power every few seconds, but they seemed to have no effect on the towering monster beyond lightening it's gruesome visage.

The towering monster manifested mostly in a form surrounded by dark clouds. What wasn't hidden was his hands which seemed to have a hundred fingers that were tipped with red-eyed serpent heads that writhed and hissed. Wings could be seen protruding from the back of the massive creature. They seemed to be of a leathery consistency, some sort of cross between a bat wing and that of a bird. It's face was unidentifiable as it continuously shifted from one ghastly appearance to the next, each more terrible than the one before.

The demigods could only watch in mute horror as the monster approached the city, swatting away the gods like flies. A silver chariot pulled by what looked like reindeer was pummeled from the sky with a muffled boom and Apollo's golden chariot followed it's descent. With the loss of the twin archers, all hope seemed to be lost as Typhon approached the Hudson River. Upon stepping foot into the river, a loud horn was heard, and an army sprang from the murky depths.

The soldiers of Poseidon swarmed over the gargantuan beast, with cyclopes hefting enormous bronze chains, straining with all their might to hold the beast in place. Mermen and other residents of the underwater city did the best they could to pound away at Typhon's joints in order to weaken him. Amongst the commotion, the last remaining hundred-handed one could also be seen among the cyclopeses, holding chains with a majority of his appendages, while the rest hurled large pieces of rock and debris. The monster roared in pain and indignation as a portal began to form in front of him, leading straight into the depths of Tartarus.

As Typhon began to fall towards the opening, there was a loud crack as one of the larger chains snapped suddenly under the strain. Time seemed to stand still on either side of the viewing mist in the throne room. Kronos continued to watch the events with a guarded expression, and Percy and Annabeth couldn't even begin to form coherent thoughts about what they were seeing.

Typhon's descent slowed noticeably, and his struggles renewed in their intensity as he fought against the weakened restraints.

The remaining gods and goddesses circling above the monster did their best to support the soldiers of Poseidon, but the might of the child of Gaea could not be overcome. With another roar, and earsplitting cracks that resounded throughout the city, the remaining restraints cracked and were broken. The energy keeping the portal to Tartarus open soon dissipated, and Typhon continued his inexorable march toward the city of olympus and the viewing mist dissipated. There was no reason to continue to watch what was inevitable, their last hope of defeating the monster had been dashed.

Kronos' cold laughter resounded through the throne room. "A clever ploy to use the forces of the sea god to overcome Typhon, but it would appear that your gamble has not paid out" The titan spoke and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Now that that is finished, it's time to clean up some loose ends." Kronos continued as he approached the frozen demigods. He began to twirl his scythe and stopped as he arrived at Percy's position. "Do your worst grandfather, I do not fear death!" Percy spat, looking defiantly into the swirling golden eyes before him.

"As you wish, Perseus." Kronos said with a mock bow followed by raising his weapon, only to move behind the stunned demigod towards Annabeth who whimpered in fear. "NO! KRONOS COME BACK HERE!" Percy shouted in desperation, pouring all his power and energy into the words and his renewed struggles against the forces holding him in place. What was seemingly an immovable object keeping him restrained before began to instead feel more like he was moving through thick molasses, and his limbs began to turn. He couldn't, and wouldn't lose one of his best friends, and the woman he was desperately in love with to this unfeeling monster!

Percy's resolve strengthened and his movements sped up a marginal amount. He could almost see the pair before he heard the swish of swinging metal, Annabeth scream and the smell of iron assaulted his senses. As he completed the final degrees of his rotation he knew the image before him would haunt him for the rest of his life, however short that would be. Annabeth's head was resting on Kronos' shoulder, her hair covering her face and her arms by her side. He watched in horror as her legs buckled, but did nothing to affect her elevation as she was held aloft by a combination of the still present time lock, and the scythe that had been shoved to the hilt into her chest.

Blood began to pool below the impaled daughter of Athena and Kronos pulled his weapon from the lifeless body with a sickening sound. The body remained suspended for but a moment as the titan turned away and Percy was able to see the extent of the wound. His friend had been nearly cut in half diagonally and there was no question that if the demigod hadn't died yet, it was only a matter of seconds that she would remain in the land of the living.

Rage and grief consumed Percy as Annabeth fell into the pool of her own blood and lay still. With the entirety of his remaining strength he threw his sword at the smirking visage of his enemy. There was no strategy in his actions. No deeper plot or calculation, only the overriding need to act. The all encompassing need for the being in front of him to experience even a small fraction of his pain. The sword flew, end over end, celestial bronze glimmering in the surrounding light, hardly making a sound as it flew. The weapon flew true and struck Kronos fully in the chest, the titan being too surprised by the demigod's ability to overcome his power of time to make such a drastic action.

Kronos was knocked from his feet and Percy fell as well, denying him vision of the aftermath of his actions. Percy strained to recover his bearings, and slowly rose to his feet. Silenced reigned in the throne room, and he approached the still prone form of the titan. When he neared the body, his breath caught. Riptide has pierced the body of Kronos, and was protruding from his back. Percy couldn't believe that his attack had been successful until he realised something he had missed. What little blood was coming from the wound that would have been fatal to any mortal, was the golden ichor of an immortal. The moment he made this realization, Kronos began to stir.

"You are full of surprises, grandson, but I'm afraid you are too late. I have reached my full power, and my true form will soon become manifest." the titan said in a voice laced in power as he rose to his feet and removed the blade from his body before tossing the weapon to the side. "Give my regards to the rest of your friends I have already sent to the underworld, I'll be along shortly to ensure yours and their _comfort_ in the afterlife once I have tied up the loose ends on this plain."

Kronos' body began to glow with divine light, forcing Percy to shield his eyes. It began as a slow tug, a shift in the winds pushing against his face and body. Soon the force began to increase dramatically and stinging pieces of debris and dust assaulted his unprotected skin. All at once there was a shift, and the air seemed to be returning toward where the glowing body lay. Percy's ears popped at the rapid change in pressure, and despite his exhaustion instinctively raised a thin barrier of moisture between the titan lord and himself before his world exploded.

It felt like Mt. Saint Helens all over again, except this time the sweet release of unconsciousness was denied to him. With blinding speed he flew over the wreckage of olympus, swiftly leaving the borders of the floating city. Despite the screaming wind around him, he was able to keep his eyes open enough to see what lay below him. The remnants of Hades' forces were slowly forming into battle lines against the looming figure of Typhon, but if the gods couldn't defeat the ancient monster, what hope did the undead have?

The son of Poseidon had little time to contemplate such things as he began to descend. The entire week's worth of beating his body had endured seem to culminate in his current state of pain and shock. He felt every blow as if it had been freshly delivered, and his exhaustion seemed to overwhelm his senses, though it did nothing to alleviate the pain. Despite his injuries, he could still feel the object in his jacket pocket, miraculously still intact despite the day's proceedings. The "gift" from prometheus, Elpis, the spirit of hope, still enclosed in it's container.

Percy briefly lamented his decision not to give up what hope he had back when most of his friends were still alive. The fact that they would lose seemed inevitable to him now. He had been foolish and arrogant to believe he could defeat the titan lord and his followers. Time seemed to slow as he relived the past days of battle, searching for mistakes to rectify to achieve a different result, be he always returned to the same conclusion, he never had a chance against Kronos. Without a conscious decision being made, his hands began to reach for the spirit of hope. He reached into the pocket and removed the jar and his grip tightened on the lid.

Before he could begin to open it, however, he was interrupted by a flash of light, and a halt in his descent. It took him several seconds to locate the source of the disturbance, and when he did, he almost lost Hope.(A/N Hah.) Before him were the three sisters of fate, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Percy stared at them open-mouthed for almost a minute before Atropos spoke. "It is not a trivial thing to release hope for all of mankind young demigod." she said in a voice that was ancient, and full of power with a slight tinge of disappointment. "Think carefully on the repercussions of your impulsive actions."

"What have I got to lose?" Percy demanded indignantly. "The war is over, Kronos has won. Soon the world will feel the wrath of the titan lord. What hope does humanity have anyway?" His voice started with an air of frustration, but by the end of his rant it had turned into despair and tears began to form in his eyes. He was interrupted from his stupor by mocking laughter. "Is this all the hero of olympus can muster? Petty words and childish tears? It seems you do not wish to continue on your journey." Lachesis said after her laughter had died down, ending her words with a sneer laced with contempt.

"If you do not value what you have been given, perhaps you desire to take fate into your own hands." Clotho spoke up as she produced a thread from her bundle. The string was sea green, almost the exact shade of Percy's eyes, and in a poor state. The lady of fate measured the string before presenting it before the stunned demigod. Percy knew immediately that this was his life, and he could sense where he was on the timeline. As he looked upon his life string, images flashed through his mind at one thousand miles per hour. He relived his entire life in mere seconds, and the feelings of pain and remorse filled him to the breaking point. Tears streamed down his face as it seemed that all he could remember were the bad times in his life. In the midst of his turmoil, a second figure approached him, and a glint of sunlight caught his eye.

Atropos held out her shears to Percy, and he knew what the offer was. The fates expressions were unreadable and they held their silence as the demigod shakily took the implement that would cause his life to end. His eyes moved to the exact point in time where he now resided. His hands slowly moved the shears into position and he tried to steady his breathing. This was it, his pain and suffering could end. No longer would he be under the burden of prophecy. No more would he have to watch in agony as his brothers and sisters in all but blood died violent needless deaths. A sense of peace filled him as he looked forward to the end of his unbearable suffering. The shears began to close, and Percy shut his eyes willing the darkness to take him.

"Good riddance…" a voice spoke fiercely in his mind. His eyes snapped open and the movement of the shears was cut short. "Th-Thalia?" Percy spoke aloud "Don't stop being an idiot on my account kelp-head. You've clearly made up your mind." the voice spat "I thought your 'fatal flaw' was supposed to be loyalty, but it seems to me you only think of yourself." it continued in a disappointed tone.

Percy was incredulous. "You of all people know what I've been through. How many shrouds have we burned already? How many more will we have if we survive this day!" He shouted mentally. "Your solution to dealing with the pain of loss, losses caused by people dying to protect you and the ones you love, is to end your life? You are choosing a permanent solution to a temporary problem, idiot." 'Thalia' retorted. "The problem isn't temporary! Those I've lost are gone from my life forever, and living will only have me see the passing of more that I care about." Percy resolved.

"Why don't you leave the logic and reason to the people who still have some brain cells left, eh seaweed brain?" a new voice said to him. A vision of calculating grey eyes and blonde princess curls came unbidden to his mind as he choked with grief. "Annabeth…" He sobbed as fresh tears came to his eyes. "Please… I-I just want to see you again, to be with you…" he ended in a whisper as he recalled what had happened in the throne room.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, let me say... that you're an absolute moron." 'Annabeth' replied, shocking Percy. "What of those still living? Would you condemn them to their fate of death or worse so you could see your friends who have already passed? Can you not wait, even if for a while, to do what is right? The Percy I knew would never act so rashly."

"How can you say that? Even if I continue to fight, I cannot save them all. I will have to watch as they die, I already bear the burden of so many lives, Beckendorf, Clarisse, Luke, Zoe… Have I not endured enough? Ever since this accursed war started my world has begun to lose its song. Before there was always a rhythm, a purpose I could see. As sure as the tides, and with the same ebb and flow. Even through the suffering I endured, the song was the remorseful and assuring me that I was not alone in my pain. Others had gone through the same, and worse, and come out stronger for it. When I saw the dead eyes of the huntress who showed me kindness, when I left Beckendorf behind to die, the music began to fade. By the time I reached Kronos there was nothing but silence. Never could I have imagined the deafening roar of silence that greeted me when all I asked was 'why?'. That silence said more that any answer ever could. There was power in that show of indifference. The fates decree only the way we will die, they care not for what we will do with our lives. Perhaps in the end they are merciful for ending so many lives short. Surely death is better than to live in this misery." Percy ended in rant in a breathless state, consumed by bitterness and remorse, but also acceptance.

"Percy…" a new voice chimed in, only seeming to deepen the broken demigod's madness. "NICO! Surely you of all people understand the pain and inevitability of death!" Percy shouted desperately. "Truly I do, Percy, and if it were up to me I would not choose to endure. We both know you cannot make choices within a vacuum, however." Nico retorted with a somber tone tainting his young voice. A voice that seemed strained with recent mourning. "I don't understand what you mean…" Percy replied in frustration. "When you make a decision, you must consider the ramifications to all relevant parties, Percy. You have decided your life is not worth living without thinking of what it would mean to others if it ended. You wish to avoid the pain of living in a world of death and sorrow, and so condemn others to worse than you would endure. You neglect your duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and damn them to suffer in your place. You whine and cry about the horrors of this life, but you do nothing to prevent them. If you believed what you said not moments ago, you would stop at nothing to continue this fight." Nico's voice slowly turned into that of a lecturer, and ended it's rant with a note of finality and conviction that rocked Percy to the core.

He had been blinded by his grief, consumed by selfishness, and almost foolish enough to in his final act further the interest of those he had sworn to defeat. His heart seemed on the verge of imploding when he realised he had been on the verge of abandoning the ones he loved to a fate worse than death.

In the midst of his revelation and subsequent self deprecating mental breakdown, the fates began to speak again, this time in one voice. "You still must choose your path Perseus Jackson. You have not been spared from death by Kronos' hand to sit and cry about how unfair life or fate has been to you. This is your last chance to decide. Your life string is unique. There are many points at which it may be cut, but this is your only opportunity to do so yourself."

Percy opened his eyes and stared at the string still suspended before him. He knew where his life currently was, and where he could cut to end it immediately, but he was horrified by a sudden surge of images. Too fast for him to truly understand, but slow enough to feel the depth of the emotions, he saw the rest of his life span before him. He could see each point where his string could be cut, dozens of future paths that would end his life in one way or another, and he felt the entirety of the pain and loss that would befall him before his death. Unlike when he had relived his past, however, he could also feel the slight splashes of happiness, and Elpis, the spirit of hope seemed to glow brightly from it's container.

The shears of fate dropped from his hands, falling several feet before reappearing in the Fate's hands. "Perseus Jackson, we offer you something that has never before been offered to a being, mortal or immortal. Because of the unique nature of your life string, and your decision today, we offer you our blessing, and the position as champion of the Fates. Kronos was destined to lose this war, but has instead created an imbalance. You will be the one to restore that balance… if you are to succeed." The three said in unison.

"Ladies of Fate," Percy began. "I accept your offer. I will die for the sake of justice I wil-" he continued only to be cut off by the cackling trio. "Have you learned nothing Perseus?" Clotho said coldly. "We ask you not to die for this cause, but rather something much worse. You must live. You must endure." She continued before the three began to speak as one " _Suffering will be your constant companion, pain your sure friend. Misery always with you, until you meet your end. Lives shall you save, but seldom the ones you wish. Many shall you watch in agony, taken by death's kiss. And when your journey comes to close, no more shall you walk this land. Never shall you be seen again, removed by creator's hand._ " The Fates eyes glowed a sickly green, and the once calm winds began to bite and whip at the exposed demigod as the trio advanced further into their chanting. A beam of brilliant blue emanated from the Fates and struck Percy in the chest.

At first he hardly noticed, his senses overwhelmed by the echoes of the voices of fate in conjunction with the howling winds. Soon, however, all other stimuli his body was receiving was overwhelmed and overshadowed by a new sense. Something that originated near his heart. It encapsulated all that he believed, and all that was his duty to perform. It was his reason for being, having always been present, but only now becoming fully realised. The sense of Fate shone from the demigod, and he could feel nothing else.

 **A/N: That's it! I have no current plans to continue with this story, but if enough people ask for it I will. Any/all criticisms are welcome, I would love to hear your suggestions!**


End file.
